Mexican police have arrested three people accused of killing a friend they were allegedly trying to turn into a vampire during a satanic ceremony.
Edwin Juarez Palma, 24, died after being strangled, beaten, and slashed in the neck with a broken bottle at a cyber cafe called Freak Shop, reports the Daily Mail.
The three suspects are 18-year-old student Iveth Lopez, Gustavo Dorantes, 18, and Omar Sanchez, 25. They face up to 40 years in prison if found guilty.
Police say Edwin was fooled into taking part in an initiation ceremony to become part of a satanic cult called the Sons of Baphomet 1.
He was then tied up, beaten, and slashed in the throat after one of the alleged killers persuaded the others he should be sacrificed so he could return to life as a vampire.
Edwin’s body was found wrapped inside two plastic bags in what detectives think was a botched attempt to disguise the murder as a drug-related crime.
The murder reportedly took place inside the toilets late at night and the killers are said to have used bleach to try to clean up the scene of the crime.
A fourth person described as the leader of the sect is said to be on the run from police.
Police chief Pablo Rocha said:
All that’s left now to do is to arrest the leader of the sect whose name we have.
Casket of D’s dad. My lapel flower.
After her brother’s funeral Edwin’s sister, Alicia, wrote on social media:
Don’t be sad. I know it hurts that he’s no longer with us. He’s my brother and we are his family and it hurts us more than anyone.
But we have something that comforts us. He always had words for us when we felt down, words of encouragement.
I know as his sister that he wouldn’t have wanted us to be sad about his departure.
